Case Number 24433: Small Claims Court

KOJAK: SEASON FIVE

The Charge

Doctor: "A lot of men are talking early retirement; going onto something
else. How about you?" Kojak: "What, and give up show
business?!"

The Case

It's the final go 'round for the legendary lineup of Manhattan South's
detective squad, but Lieutenant Theo's men are hardly wheezing in the home
stretch. On the contrary, Kojak: Season Five pours on the steam,
finishing with twenty two episodes (on six discs) of primetime Telly vision:

Full disclosure: These episodes aren't all winners. A lightweight (as in
feather-brained) "comedic" caper about horse thieves proved as fun and easy to
sit through as a whoopee cushion loaded with thumb tacks. Furthermore, whoever's
bright idea it was to have Detective Rizzo (Vince Conti) parade through an
episode in drag (as a decoy) ought to have been forever banished to the set of
Holmes & Yoyo.

Otherwise, Season Five delivers in spades, featuring some of the series'
strongest installments, including the season-ending "In Full Command," which
boasts an amazing dramatic turn from comedian Danny Thomas (Make Room For
Daddy), and the stunning two-part "Summer Of '69," which opens with the
nastiest father and son reunion this side of Shel Silverstein's "A Boy Named
Sue."

Plenty of Oscar-caliber guest talent is also on hand, including Shelley
Winters (The Poseidon Adventure), but more interesting (at least to
incurable pop culture addicts like me) are appearances by actors whose names you
probably wouldn't know, but faces you'll forever recognize, including Lee Bryant
(the hysterical woman who gets slapped in Airplane!), Lenny Montana,
(Luca Brasi of The Godfather), Tony Sirico (Paulie 'Walnuts' Gualtieri of
The Sopranos), and former Hee Haw honey Misty Rowe.

Ms. Rowe's beautiful blond locks and irresistible baby-doll voice are
wonderfully preserved in this stellar set of standard def 1.33:1 full frame
transfers with Dolby 2.0 Digital Mono audio. There are no subtitles or bonus
features included, but that shouldn't prevent the quality control department at
Shout! Factory from taking a bow for another job well done.

I hate goodbyes, and since the lieutenant and company would reunite seven
years later for Kojak: The Belarus File -- which kicked off a series of
TV movies stretching into the early '90 -- I'll leave things with "auf
Wiedersehen."